The Art of Giving before Receiving

Brad Feld is a prolific VC and blogger whose blog I read religiously. He had written a great piece at the start of the year “Give before you Get“. The important take away from this post is being aware of the practice of giving without making it transactional. This is much harder than it appears because most of us are wired to give with the expectation of getting something back in return. When we remove this expectation along with the thought of what is in it for me, it becomes a lot easier to give generously and genuinely!

Given that this goes against what many of us believe inherently, it is important and empowering to be able to hold this belief independent of what others think and expect. This is admittedly a very personal decision, but when you incorporate it into your personal ethos it becomes a very powerful one! This is more than just giving back to society once you have “made it”. Each one of us has the ability to positively impact the lives of people within our immediate or secondary network. Making it a point to actively look for these opportunities and then pay-it-forward creates an amazing ripple effect.

In a time frame of the world becoming a smaller space and where personal agendas outweigh those of a society as a whole, it is imperative that more than ever, now, is the time and need of the hour to make a concerted effort to bring about the change we want to see!